The Miro M320S features a 12 bit, 2 Megapixel sensor that’s near the size of 35mm film, and can capture up to 1500 frames per second at 1920×1080 resolution. The M320S features an HD-SDI output for high-quality monitoring or recording and is available with all popular lens mounts. Literally fitting in the palm of your hand, the Miro weighs in at only three pounds.

The sensor has 35mm depth-of-field characteristics, and the camera is available with a variety of lens mounts, including Canon EOS, 35mm PL-mount, and Nikon F-mount and C-mount. When using the EOS (EF) mount, aperture and focus can be remote-controlled.
Along with the M320S, the Miro M-Series includes the M310, which shoots up to 3600 fps at a max resolution of 720p, the M120, which shoots 800 fps at 1080p, and the M110, which shoots 1500fps at 720p. Of the four cameras in the M-series line, the M320S is the only one with HD-SDI output.

As big of an electronics behemoth that is Sony, it’s somewhat surprising to see it stepping out on a limb with what customers are seeking – with a sub-$10k camera that shoots 240fps at full 1080p and planned upgrade path to 4K resolution.

It’s not like no one asked Canon for any of these features. We’re pushing the four year mark (come September) and Canon still hasn’t delivered a 1080/60p camera – even for $16,000.

This film was produced to demonstrate the 200fps mode @1080p on the New Sony NEX-FS700. This camera will do up to 960fps but at reduced bitrate and resolution. We wanted to maintain 1080p so did not shoot beyond 200fps.

It goes without saying that the two cameras are at two very different price points and classifications, but right out of the gate, the Canon C300 looked great side by side with the Alexas. I’m speaking strictly about how the footage looked at Video Village before any color correction and grading. Ultimately, the choice is determined by your time, budget, color space and compression preferences and final deliverable required.

The big story here is just how mind-blowingly good mass produced low cost technology is getting. The massive investment in CMOS by Canon, Panasonic and Sony, huge volumes, consumer demand – all goes to create a relatively low cost monster that produces footage which can be intercut with a $75,000 movie camera – the best of the breed. The C300 is a viable option for prime time TV like Game of Thrones at a fraction of the cost of the Alexa.

LaCie also announced an external Thunderbolt dock dubbed the eSATA Hub Thunderbolt Series. It is a handy solution for those wishing to connect external devices, such as eSATA hard drives and Thunderbolt displays, to their notebook with ease. The eSATA Hub Thunderbolt Series looks like an external storage, but do not let the looks deceive you: This box has on its back two eSATA ports topping out at 6GBps each (same as your computer’s internal SSD), in addition to two Thunderbolt ports.

Shooting on the Canon C300 today in a Darkroom today for a job. I set the camera to 20,000 iso Gamma table normal 3 & Matrix Normal 3. Tungsten preset f2.8 using a Canon ef 16-35mmL. The only light in the room was an Ilford Darkroom safe light in the ceiling.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Shutter Life | olegkikin.com
A database of user reports that calculates the shutter life of the 5D Mark II. Good to know for those looking at all the 5D's on eBay!TIP: Don't buy a 5D Mark II from someone that shot timelapses!

Average number of actuations after which shutter is still alive: 220,272.6
Average number of actuations after which shutter died: 380,332.5

However, the same wheeled case — a Pelican 1510, which is the maximum allowable size for carrying onto an airplane — is just $150. It’s certainly nice to have a custom foam insert in your case for maximum camera/accessory security, but if you don’t feel like spending $450 on a foam insert, here’s how to create your own — using RED’s own custom-cut materials, which come with the original camera and accessory packaging.

Macotakara.com reports that Apple may be finishing up work on a new version of its Logic professional audio software, with the new version being named Apple Logic Pro X. According to a rough English translation provided alongside the original Japanese-language report, a source familiar with the status of the project appears to report that the news comes from a source involved in a “customer interview” with Apple’s Logic team.

Friday, April 06, 2012

It looks like SONY has really listened to the users. We finally have that ND Filter wheel, a lot of guys where asking for. The top handle is super beefy now and feels like it is milled out of one massive block of aluminum. Also the front mount sits on a big black metal base, very solid and twice the size of the FS100 counterpart. Overall the whole body feels more rugged and solid, but gained some weight, because of all the extra metal.

Adding that his FS100 is for sale, he goes on to say:

Noise is about the same as in the FS100, and it looks like we lost a bit of low light sensitivity (still impressive). But the downsampled images from the new sensor are stunning and the option of future 4k raw output is amazing.

The first footage from Sony's new NEX-FS700. The new Super 35mm model is designed for high-speed shooting and is capable of capturing footage at up to 960 frames per second. The camcorder also features a range of capabilities such as 3G HD-SDI output and built-in ND filters. Additionally, it also offers several creative options, shooting styles and enhanced ergonomics – all based on customer feedback – to deliver a flexible production tool that fits seamlessly into a variety of shooting applications.

This was a very quick test we did with the FS700 and it's super slow motion options. Both clips are shot at 480 fps which records 10 seconds of real time. The image quality is reduced when shooting in this mode. The camera can be triggered at the start, end, or 'end half' when shooting slow motion. Even with some quality loss, the 480 fps looked pretty good. We did test 960 fps and the image quality was obviously reduced.

FS700 footage specs | Peter Prevec | Too Much Imagination
Peter was also one of the DPs featured in Sony's video, and writes about some more of the footage he shot with the camera:

First is about a girl and her car. This shot was recorded on SLR Magic HyperPrime CINE 50mm T0.95 lens. The creamy bokeh perfect for this scene as the sequence is about her memories. I helped myself with nailing the focus by using Genus follow focus and SmallHD DP4 with its great new peaking function.

And he includes a custom picture profile for the camera from Frank Glencairn.

Thursday, April 05, 2012

First Look at the Sony NEX-FS700 | Andy Shipsides | CineTechnica
Andy was lucky enough to get his hands on an NEX-FS700 [for at least 7 minutes-Ed] and gives it a quick look. Some interesting things I didn't know about the camera; the buttons are raised, making them easier to operate and the handle on the top seems a lot stronger too.
Oh, and the rosette is explained...

Other big features of the FS700 include: Cine gammas (the same found in the PMW-F3), progressive (P/Psf) outputs over HD-SDI and HDMI, still picture shooting, 50/60hz switchable, the ability to save picture profiles to an SD card, up to 8x focus magnification, and a sturdy body design. The camera will have a newly designed handle which attaches to the camera via an Arri style rosette.

NAB 2012…The story so far…Sony | Philip Johnston | HD Warrior
Philip just bought a Canon C300, so there may be an element of buyers-rationalization in this post, but he suggests that the manufacturers have jumped on the 4K bandwagon so fast because 3D didn't work out so well for them. [Ahhh 3D, remember when that was going to be big? - the fifties were such a wonderful time; flying cars for all! - Ed]
As to noise; if my math is correct, then the pixel size of an 11MP Super35mm sensor will be smaller than those on a 22MP 35mm full-frame sensor (i.e. the 5D Mark III) so it may not be as good as it might be, but if it's as good as the FS100 - as Andy suggests - that isn't too bad. Frankly, I'm more concerned about aliasing, moiré and dealing with color fringing, than super-super low ISO at this point.

Remember 4K is fine if the 4K picture is truly stunning but some of the tech boys I have been speaking to are worried that Sony are asking far too much from the Super 35mm sensor and noise may be an issue, especially at lower light levels. Sony do not tend to disappoint when it comes to video pictures so I am confident that the picture will be stunning…my man at NAB will tell me next week.

C300 Firmware Wish List | paragasd | Canon EOS User Forum
A list of 7 things one user would like to see in the Canon C300:

1. Waveform in the EVF. Extremely useful on the LCD but many times in run and gun situations, I don't have the LCD attached and that waveform is really missed in those situations. Seems like an easy fix.2. Separately assignable wheels (on camera body and handgrip). Right now you can only set those wheels to be the same thing. Would be great to have Iris as one and ISO or Shutter as the other. Again seemingly an easy fix.3. Autofocus (or electronically controlled focus).

Whilst using the monopod in Japan I really got to put it through it’s paces. Since it only weighs a little over 700 grams (24.7oz) it was very easy to carry around all day in hand or strapped to my Lowepro Computrekker. With the payload of the monopod is around 2kgs (4.4lbs) I found that it can just support my Canon 7d with battery grip and Sigma 24-70 f2.8 although the point where the head mounts to the monopod leg starts to creek a bit...

The new Vision blue5 has the same superb functionality as the extremely successful Vision blue system launched at last year’s NAB Show, but with a higher carrying capacity of 12.1 lb to 26.5 lb / 5.5kg to 12kg @ 100mm CofG. This makes the Vision blue5 ideal to support the latest generation of larger cameras used by professional videographers.

The Kubrick Series Uncut: GARRETT BROWN | MovieGeeksUnited | YouTube
If you're a fan of the Shining, Stanley Kubrick, or Steadicam, this audio interview with the inventor of the Steadicam - who also operated it on The Shining - is worth listening to:

In this unedited interview from The Kubrick Series, Steadicam inventor Garrett Brown discusses his experiences working with Stanley Kubrick on his 1980 horror classic The Shining.

The Post FCP Fog | Michael Kammes | Blog
Michael suggests that Avid and Adobe haven't done enough to lure Final Cut Pro 7 users, but doesn't clearly explain what it is he actually wants them to do [catch them with promises of chocolate chip cookies and free ponies? -Ed]

Stop ignoring the pink elephant in the room by simply offering cross grade pricing or the ability to work with FCP media and projects (this seems like getting the horse to drink before you’d led them to water, eh?). Publically own up to the gap, fill it, and reap the financial benefits. This is what I mean by not being aggressive.

Don’t Work For Free | Daedalus Howell | Creative Lot
Work for free for a cause, for a friend, or to learn something new, but never, ever do it for "great exposure." 99 times out of 100, it won't be.

Under penalty of public humiliation, never ever ask me for a creative contribution based on the prospect of “great exposure.” The fact that you believe this to be attractive to a working professional means I’m overexposed as is. And apparently to the wrong people – those who lack respect for the fact that I’ve got to buy food for my young son to wear.

One thing you may notice is that this tutorial does not address adding motion to your images in FCPX. With previous versions of Final Cut Pro you had to manually keyframe the motion of videos and stills….a process that could end up being very time consuming. However, Final Cut Pro X includes a built in effect to simply this process (dubbed the Ken Burns Effect, in honor of the famous documentary filmmaker that popularized this style).

Chris Fenwick, planetMitch and I talk about the latest announcement from Sony: the new NEX FS700. The NEX-FS700 is touted as a 4K-ready NXCAM camcorder with a superior Super35mm CMOS sensor, super slow-motion capability and an interchangeable E-mount lens system, offering unrivalled flexibility and creative expression. The real question is, 4K at what cost?

Wednesday, April 04, 2012

The new handgrip: for NEX-FS100 users, too?| H. Paul Moon | Vimeo FS700 GroupPaul Moon noticed something interesting in the FS700 product photos on Facebook; the handgrip on the FS700 has changed; it adds a rocker switch, amongst other things. Could it work with the FS100? What lenses will it control? [Note; the PMW-F3 was released with a rocker, but it took Sony to release a lens that worked with it!]
One of the other things people disliked about the FS100 is the comparatively flimsy, and not always seemingly securely attaching handgrip. Perhaps Sony has upgraded the handgrip:

See the zoom rocker? Clearly Sony has an E-mount lens with servo motor (for zoom control) in the works, though it is not on their official lens roadmap for the next few years. Another thing: there is more than just Start/Stop on that handgrip (iris, photo shutter and expanded focus), but if NEX-FS100 users luck out: (1) it's the same LANC cable with the same 1/8" plug;

The product manager says that not all of the handgrip functions work when put on the #FS100

Stress testing the FS700 | PeterP | Too Much Information
Peter spent a little time shooting with the FS700 and posts some brief thoughts. He suggests that the FS700 is more solid than the FS100:

The camera is also more solidly build and has a rugged handle. It has a HD-SDI for proper monitoring and off board recording. The most important feature of the camera is its ability to shoot at high speeds at up to 240 fps in 1080p resolution.

Sony 35mm NEX-FS700 | Jon Fauer | Film & Digital TimesF&DTimes [When will they become just "Digital Times" -Ed] usually gets to play with new cameras before they are announced, and they will be publishing a 5-page article on the FS700 camera in their April 2012 NAB edition of FDTimes. They also say the cost will "probably [be] below $10,000 and the camera ships in June." Some specs:

The FS100 uses the same sensor as the PMW-F3, but it doesn’t have the same processing or the same output options, meaning that the image wasn’t quite as good as the PMW-F3. Will the FS700 vault past the PMW-F3 at HD resolutions, or will it be similar to the FS100?

Sony also announced a new piece of software that will be coming out in May, which will be good for all XDCAM EX owners. The SxS Memory Card Management Utility will be able to back up the data on an SxS card and also give a lifetime indication of the card in use.

Sony Pre NAB Live-chat | Sony Professional (Europe) | Facebook
Sony Europe will be having a webchat on their new cameras on April 11th. I've sat in on them before and they can be a useful way of getting more detailed explanations of things they have already announced about the product - but don't expect them to answer questions about the product on details they haven't already announced!

On Wednesday the 11th of April, Sony product experts will be on hand to answer questions at the following times:
11am - 12.30am CET: HXR-NX30 with Kanta Yamamoto and Dave Stannard

Sony NEX-FS700 – A Nerds Perspective | Chris Marino | WideOpenCamera
Chris speculates about the 4K recording on the FS700. I wouldn't be surprised if it makes use of the Sony SR-R1 Digital Recorder, or an upgrade, or a more expensive "SR-R2"...

Ok, so how will we get 4K from the FS700? Well it’s going to come from one of the two outputs on the camera, SDI or HDMI. If it comes from the SDI connection you will most likely see 12 bit 4K data, not video or audio, coming through this throughput. And what do you know! The sensor has a 12 bit AD converter on it. Sony may have something here. But wait, what about HDMI? What about HDMI! Death to HDMI right? Not quite. This new 1.4 specification for the connection is pretty nuts. Able to support 4K by 2K video at 24p. Hmm…

This DSLR caters to astronomers and hobbyists who enjoy capturing the beauty of the night sky by offering a modified infrared filter and a low-noise sensor with heightened hydrogen-alpha sensitivity. These modifications allow the camera to capture magnificent photographs of “red hydrogen emission” nebulae and other cosmic phenomena.

Our groundbreaking Baselight Editions make the world’s most powerful colour grading toolset directly available to editors and VFX artists and provide the tightest integration between grading, editorial and VFX available. Baselight for Apple Final Cut Pro 7 already makes this possible and new for NAB will be Baselight for Nuke and a preview of the much anticipated Baselight for Avid Media Composer.

Scene Breakdown: Drive | Glen Montgomery the Third | Coldpost
Is editing an art, or a science? Can it be analyzed and picked apart into a series of rules? Maybe. Here's a scene breakdown of part of the movie Drive:

It is appropriate that we smash to this new scene after the violent explosion that finished out the previous one. Emotionally, we are still reeling from what happened. After the actual act is finished, the editor gives us us a 30 second moment of silence to let it sink in and then uses this hard visual and auditory cut to wipe the slate clean and lead us somewhere else emotionally.

...teaches you the basics of green screen compositing and setting up a streamlined roto workflow with After Effects and a Wacom tablet. You’ll get real-world tips on getting the best mattes and keys from your green screen shots, stabilizing and tracking footage in After Effects, and using the Roto Brush feature to create quick and accurate mattes of anything that moves in the frame. You’ll also learn how to create more believable composites by matching your foreground and background plates, using roto-spline masks, and applying match-moving techniques

REAR WINDOW loop (2011) | Jeff Desom | blog
I'm a big fan of Alfred Hitchcock and Rear Window, so when I saw this I was really knocked out! It probably won't mean that much if you haven't seen the movie first:

I dissected all of Hitchcock's Rear Window and stiched it back together in After Effects. I stabilized all the shots with camera movement in them. Since everything was filmed from pretty much the same angle I was able to match them into a single panoramic view of the entire backyard without any greater distortions. The order of events stays true to the movie's plot.

Tuesday, April 03, 2012

NEX-FS700
As seems to be a habit for Sony, they pre-announced some cameras yesterday - a good two weeks before NAB. Sort of ruins the whole, surprise, doesn't it?

The NEX-FS700 looks interesting; I liked the FS100 but I really wished it had ND filters so that I didn't have to bother with ND filters in front of the lens. Sony has listened to me! (and lots of other people that mentioned this short-coming when the FS100 was released.) Oh, and thrown in the promise of 4K as well.

One of the things I like about the Canon C300 is the built-in ND, though the built-in Canon mount is attractive too, for someone with a collections of Canon glass.

So maybe now I can go back to lusting after a Sony. The only wrinkle; I suspect that the FS700 will be several thousand more than the FS100, putting it out of my price range.

Perhaps the FS100 will come down in price, and I'll just have to make-do?!

If you're looking for a small, portable camera with excellent image-stabilization, Sony now offers this one:

The new model uses Sony’s breakthrough Balanced Optical SteadyShot™ image stabilization technology to significantly reduce camera shake in challenging shooting applications. The new camcorder also offers convenient features such as a built-in projector, all combined in Sony’s smallest, lightest handheld professional camcorder.

PMW-100
Finally, a small portable camcorder from the Sony Pro unit, at Sony Pro prices: $4,500...

The PMW-100 supports full HD video at 1080i, 1080p and 720p up to 50 Mbps MXF record and playback based on the MPEG HD422 codec using the standard MPEG HD422 Long GOP compression technology. It is also switchable to MPEG HD420 35/25Mbps or even DVCAM 25Mbps recording, which similar options in the market do not offer. The PMW-100 can also record high quality 24-bit four-channel audio at uncompressed 48kHz, ideal for pairing with the new optional ECM-MS2 stereo microphone.

Monday, April 02, 2012

Yesterday was April Fools Day, making trawling for news a rather hectic affair. Here's a few things that came along, who knows whether they are true or not!

Video Shootout: Nikon D800 vs. Canon 5D MkIII | Dan Chung | DSLR Shooter
A very thorough report from Dan, primarily on the Nikon D800, with comparisons to the Canon 5D Mark III along the way. Nikon seems to have definitely upped their game in video, with new features. The image is sharper than the Canon:

This does give the D800 an advantage for news shooters on tight deadlines who do not want to have to post-process files. In-camera sharpening can be turned up on the 5D mkIII, but this introduced some haloing effects and a slightly artificial quality to the image that I didn’t like – a possible compromise is to turn up sharpness just one step above zero.

Optimized media is always ProRes 422. When the “Optimize Media” checkbox is checked during import, FCP X transcodes, which is a fancy way of saying it “converts,” your media from its native format into Apple ProRes 422.
Proxy media is always Apple ProRes 422 Proxy. Proxy media creates a reasonably high-quality media file, but at about 1/4 the size of ProRes 422.

Recently in After Effects | Rich Young | Pro Video Coalition
A round-up of After Effects news, including updated and new plug-ins:

Here’s another summary of the last few weeks or so of news on After Effects— this time with Mocha and tracking, track mattes, organic lines in Particular, point clouds, HDR, and assorted tutorials, expressions, and plug-ins new and old.

Based on these video comparisons it is clear that the king of low-light is the Nikon D4 ($6000), followed closely by the Canon 5D Mark III ($3500). In third place is the Canon 5D Mark II ($2100) and in last place for ISO noise suppression is the new Nikon D800 ($3000). Please note that this is just based on ISO noise levels in video mode.

Side by side rolling shutter test of the Nikon D800 and Canon 5D mkIII at the Gleasons gym in New York. Do not use this clip to assess anything more than rolling shutter performance as the white balance and exposure are not optimally set for either camera.

...as far as colour accuracy goes the Litepanels is listed as having a colour rendering index (CRI) of 90. The higher the CRI the more faithful the colour reproduction. The Manda’s CRI is not listed. The Manda has a slightly lower color temperature (closer to 5400k than 5600k). When balancing the camera using the Litepanels 1×1 the color seemed more accurate (ie. Closer to natural light)

We decided to shoot this film on the Sony PMW-F3 with S-LOG installed. The dynamic range of this camera with this firmware update is incredible. I call it a baby ARRI Alexa. I would guess I was getting about 14 stops of latitude between the darkest part of the picture and the brightest using S-LOG. I’m sure the internal Sony codec did not help me, but when Joe looked at the compressed XDCAM footage off the SxS cards on his edit system, he was blown away. It looks amazing and holds up quite well.

Sony LA EA2 on Nex VG20 | Filenstyle | Vimeo
At first I was excited to find this video on the LA-EA2 A-Mount Lens to NEX Camera Mount Adapter that allows you to mount Alpha lenses to NEX mount cameras and use TTL Phase detection autofocus. You lose about a third of a stop of light, but the auto-focus is supposed to be faster and will work better in low contrast settings than the other auto-focus options available on NEX cameras.
Unfortunately, this video just shows attaching the adapter (and a lens) to the camera. There's nothing else.

I was surprised to see how close the iTunes 1080p download comes to Blu-ray, considering that it's only a fraction of the file size. And let's be honest: there are lots of Blu-ray titles that look much worse than this iTunes download. But despite an impressive effort by Apple, Blu-ray still reigns king when it comes to image quality. And unlike iTunes titles, BRDs can have uncompressed multi-channel audio, multiple audio language options, and special features.

The RH-1 provides an ultra wide field of view, with no distortion, that's nearly double that of other ultra wide lenses currently on the market. The RH-1 f/2.4 is housed in a break resistant polymer composite.

On the plus side, it provides terrific tools for grading. On the other hand, being a plug-in, it relies on Final Cut Pro 7 for all grade management and image comparison functions, and while that’s not the worst thing in the world, the experience still doesn’t come close to using a dedicated grading application (such as the full Baselight).

If you want to stay up to date and get the big news as soon as it’s available, I recommend subscribing to the team blogs for the video and audio applications. If you’d like to keep up with a daily stream of information beyond the big stuff that goes on our team blogs, then you should also consider following us on Facebook and/or Twitter.

Once the video reached 50 million views, the family began raking in cash from YouTube ads and television spots.
With more than 436 million views, the video has become a pop culture phenomenon. The only video watched more on YouTube is the official theme of the 2010 World Cup.